GreedFall reviews have made a strong case for developer Spiders as one of the studios to watch moving forward, thanks in large part to a positive response that positions the RPG as one of the potential sleeper hits of the year. GreedFall was always going to carve out a niche for itself thanks to its unique spin on the genre, but few would have guessed it would launch with so much discussion surrounding its triumphs, and it seems reasonable to expect it will have the sales numbers to match that positivity by years' end.
For those unfamiliar, GreedFall is an RPG that is based heavily on historical precedent to tell its story. Of course, there are creative spins on it that include magic, but a major selling point of the game during its development was how much politics and diplomacy would factor into the way its story unfolds. Player choice, inspired by BioWare-style decision trees and character building, remains at the forefront of the game as well, helping establish it as a title that has the potential to lure over fans waiting for the next Dragon Age to help tide them over in the interim. Given the dearth of major RPG releases in the same vein surrounding it, GreedFall could at least count on the fact it would have little competition in its own genre in its early launch weeks, although going head-to-head with Borderlands 3 and the other major September releases is certainly ambitious all the same.
As it turns out, Spiders has managed to create something special in Greedfall. It's not universally-beloved, and it comes with its fair share of faults, but for a game that didn't have much in the way of expectations attached to it pre-launch, GreedFall has done remarkably well in generating a buzz seemingly out of nowhere. The game is currently sitting at a healthy 77% Metacritic score and a similar 76% OpenCritic score, and those numbers don't even tell the whole story - so Screen Rant has compiled a collection of choice reviews that offer some more insight into the game.
Eurogamer - Recommended - Malindy Hetfield
GreedFall has more than its fair share of faults, and its curious mix of the sweet and the sour is far from a roleplaying revelation. But the elements that matter have been imbued with such love and care - so much so that I quickly forgave this ambitious RPG its shortcomings.
RPG Site - 8/10 - Bryan Vitale
I don't know if it's appropriate to think of GreedFall as a sort of substitute, merely as a replacement for some other RPG. While it shares several of the same trimmings, I ended up finding an experience that was unique and stands on its own merits. I feel like it's an easy game to criticize for lots of reasons that I wouldn't disagree with -- but I was thoroughly impressed with the handling of the setting, the tone of the narrative, the character interactions and how those meshed with the underlying systems and mechanics, that I simply found myself uninterested in clinging on too strongly to a list of imperfections. GreedFall is an ambitious game that punches above its weight, one that RPG fan owe it to themselves to try.
IGN - Review in Progress (8/10) - T.J. Hafer
With all there is to do, I may be only about halfway through this behemoth of an RPG. But I’m enjoying myself just about every step of the way. The Technomancer was disappointing, but I still wanted to see other games try the ambitious things it was attempting with more success - GreedFall delivers on that promise. There are still glitches, awkward character models, immersion-breaking re-use of assets, and an overall lack of polish that keep it from threatening Geralt’s crown, and I’ll need to find out how the story wraps up before I can pass final judgment on it. But I can already say this is going to be a crowd-pleaser for those of us who still shake our canes and talk about how the genre peaked a decade ago. We may have to eat our words before long.
VentureBeat - Spiders' RPG May Be A Sleeper Hit - Suriel Vasquez
I’m invested enough in the way GreedFall’s fantasy world doesn’t shy away from brushing up against real history, its well-paced writing, and endearing characters to happily continue trucking through it, despite some of its technical shortcomings.
Two of its major aspects, character progression and narrative choice-making, will take some more time to get a full read on, but I will say I’ve run into some great scenarios so far that have made me feel like the choices I’m making in both of those areas will have real consequences. If that’s the case, GreedFall could be an RPG sleeper-hit.
PushSquare - 7/10 - Robert Ramsey
GreedFall is Spiders' best game by some distance, and it's impressive how far the developer has come in just a few short years. It successfully scratches that BioWare itch with an intriguing world, likeable characters, and rock solid gameplay. However, aside from its unique setting, nothing about GreedFall truly stands out. Its combat is good but not great, its role-playing is largely fine but ultimately stunted, and its writing is competent but sometimes boring. GreedFall is right on the cusp of being something special. RPG fans will find a lot to like, but don't go in expecting the genre's next masterpiece.
One thing consumers will note is just how easily GreedFall seems to invite comparisons to juggernauts of the RPG genre like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and BioWare classics like Mass Effect and Dragon Age. While critics seem to universally agree that the game doesn't quite reach the high bar set by those iconic titles, the fact it has people discussing the close proximity of Spiders' effort to those games is a sign that there's something special in GreedFall. Even if it falls short in some facets and can turn some players off with design decisions, it seems like Spiders has taken the studio's development to the next level, and the result is a game that could easily be the sleeper hit of the holiday season if more reviews - which are still trickling in as of writing - end up viewing the game positively.
Either way, though, it seems like GreedFall is a must-own for fans of the RPG genre simply because so many people have differing opinions on what works and what doesn't. Spiders has tried a lot and waited to see what sticks, and although mileage may vary, it seems like inevitably more of those decisions end up resonating with players than not, making GreedFall a surprising entry into the fall 2019 discussion of must-play titles.